To open windows and programs easier I like to use the Run command box, but some installations of Windows Vista don’t display the Run command on the Start Menu. Here’s how to enable the Run command so it shows up on the Start Menu.

Right-click the taskbar, then left click Properties.

Select the Start Menu tab, then click Customize.

Scroll down through the list, then check the box next to Run command. Click OK until all the windows are closed.

Now click on the Windows Logo icon in the bottom left corner, and you should see the Run command in the Start Menu.

You can also use the shortcut keys Win+r to open the Run command box quickly. Win stands for Windows Logo Key.

When you want to get somewhere fast in Windows Vista, knowing which shortcut key to use can save a lot of clicks, and time. Here’s a brief list of helpful shortcut keys to get you where you want to go today faster.

Managing Windows
Note: Win stands for Windows Logo Key.

Alt+F4 Close the active window
Alt+Tab Switch to previous active window
Alt+Esc Cycle through all open windows
Win+Tab Flip 3D
Ctrl+Win+Tab Persistent Flip 3D
Win+T Cycle through applications on taskbar (showing its live preview)
Win+M Minimize all open windows
Win+Shift+M Undo all window minimization
Win+D Toggle showing the desktop

Starting Programs

Win+1 Open the first program on your Quick Launch bar
Win+2 Open the second program on your Quick Launch bar
Win+n Open the nth program on your Quick Launch bar
Win+U Open the ease of access center
Win+F Open the search window
Win+E Open Explorer
Win+R Open the Run window
Win+B Move focus to notification tray (the right-most portion of the taskbar)
Win+Pause Open the System Properties portion from the Control Panel
Ctrl+Shift+Esc Open Windows Task Manager

Logging In And Out
While the below shortcuts seem unwieldy because of their length, they’re quite easy to remember once you try them out a few times. The symbol stands for the right arrow key. Win stands for Windows Logo Key.

Win, , , , Enter Shutdown
Win, , , , U Shutdown
Win, , , , R Restart
Win, , Enter Sleep
Win, , , , W Switch Users
Win+L Locks computer

Viewing Folders With Explorer
Alt+ Go back
Alt+ Go forward
Alt+ Go up a directory
Alt+D Move focus to address bar
Alt+D, Tab Move focus to search bar
Alt+Enter Open the Properties window of the current selection
Ctrl+Mousewheel Change the view type (extra large, small, list view, detail, etc.)

Windows Sidebar And Gadgets

Windows Sidebar provides instant access to gadgets that display a huge variety personalized information. The below shortcuts allow you to navigate between these gadgets. I suggest just using this table as a reference, since people don’t need to navigate gadgets too often.

Move focus to Sidebar Win+Space
Cycle through visible gadgets Win+G

In Windows you can perform a lot of tasks with a mouse click, or a shortcut key combination. In Internet Explorer 7, and Mozilla Firefox, you can type in word like nerdgrind, and use shortcut keys to complete the url with a www and a .com. Here’s an example. I type in nerdgrind:

Now use the shortcut keys ctrl + enter, and voila, the url is now complete.

The is supposed to save time and keystrokes, but if you’ve already got autocomplete on, then the url will be completed as you type. If you’re typing and you see a list of urls that match what you’re looking for just use the arrow key to go down the list, and hit enter to choose it.

Here’s a few more shortcut key combinations to complete a url:

Ctrl + Enter – Auto-complete *.com address
Shift + Enter – Auto-complete *.net address
Ctrl + Shift + Enter – Auto-complete *.org address

If you add Alt to any of those key combinations, it will auto-complete and open the new address in a new tab as well. For example, Alt + Ctrl + Enter will auto-complete a .com address in a new tab.

Here are some IE 7 specific shortcut key tips:

Keyboard shortcuts

Open links in a new tab in the background
CTRL+click

Open links in a new tab in the foreground
CTRL+SHIFT+click

Open a new tab in the foreground
CTRL+T

Open a new tab from the Address bar
ALT+ENTER

Open a new tab from the search box
ALT+ENTER

Open Quick Tabs (thumbnail view)
CTRL+Q

Switch between tabs
CTRL+TAB/CTRL+SHIFT+TAB

Switch to a specific tab number
CTRL+n (n can be 1-8)

Switch to the last tab
CTRL+9

Close current tab
CTRL+W

Close all tabs
ALT+F4

Close other tabs
CTRL+ALT+F4

Mouse shortcuts

Open view of all open windows
Double-click the middle mouse button (mouse settings may vary)

Open a new tab
Left-click the empty space to the right of the last tab

Close a tab
Left-click the middle mouse button on the tab